I’ve just come off a number of seminars and, naturally, there were lots of questions about Apple’s new operating system. Here are my responses to some of the inquiries . . . BUT FIRST . . .

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP OF YOUR iPAD OR iPHONE BEFORE UPGRADING TO iOS 8. I recommend using iTunes for your manual backup solution.

Okay, onward —

Will iOS 8 work with my iPhone 4?
iOS 8 will work with every generation of the iPhone from the 4s on. Unfortunately, that means the iPhone 4 will not work with the new operating system. iOS 8 will also work with iPads generation 2 and up, all iPad minis, and 5th generation iPod touches.

How much free space do I need to upgrade to the new operating system?
I suggest 3GB of free space. You can free space up by simply deleting apps (you can always download them, again, at a later time).

When will iOS 8 be available?
Well, it’s today. If history serves us, it should be available about 10 a.m. Pacific.

Will I be able to get new Swype-like keyboards right away?
Yes. It is expected that the Swype app, itself, will be in the App Store later today.

On the app front, you are going to want to run and get 1Password (a password manager/generator). I can’t say enough about this app and it is the one I use for all my password needs. Normally, this app is $9.99. Today, it is FREE! You save $9.99.

On the seminar front, I have just arranged with Apple for one final Fall seminar on October 8, 2014 at it’s Victoria Gardens briefing room in Rancho Cucamonga. I anticipate the event will run from 6-8p. More information to come so stay tuned.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your continued support of my two books, “The iPad Lawyer” and “The Million Dollar iPad.” Both of them remain on the charts. And The Million Dollar iPad hit #1 yesterday!

For those who have the First Edition of The Million Dollar iPad and have had challenges with downloading the Second Edition, Amazon has been extremely helpful in updating if you just HAVE THEM CALL YOU THROUGH THE CONTACT US PAGE. They will have you give them your Amazon email address, have you delete the First Edition, and then they will send you the Second Edition. Once you sync, the update will be there!

Amazon maintains that this can also be done through the Manage Your Content page, but I was not able to get that to work correctly. So a quick phone call did the trick.

Again, just go to the Contact Us page for Amazon and it will walk you through setting up a instant phone call with customer support (they will call you).

If you own the First Edition already, unfortunately you’re going to have to create a new Amazon account if you want the Second Edition. I’m still not sure why this is happening but because of the way I created the Second Edition, Amazon is not permitting you to simply and automatically update your current content. (I’m still figuring out a workaround for this so be patient.)

And, if you don’t have an iPad or iPhone, yet, you will . . . go ahead and download the book now while it’s free so you have this when the time comes for you to dig deeper with your iOS device.

On the app front, one of my favorite and most powerful apps is iThoughts. At its core, it’s a mindmapping app that let’s you create complex, visual diagrams of your thoughts, to-dos, projects, presentations, and just about anything else you can write about or outline. But . . . it’s so much more than that the way I use it. I use this app to monitor cases, manage workflow at the office, create book and speech outlines, conduct client interviews, etc. I could go on and on. Normally, this app is $9.99. Today, it is only $1.99. You save $8.00.

For those interesting in using your iPad for handwritten notes, I’ve mentioned Noteshelf and Notability, before. There’s another app that’s a mighty contender and it’s called Notes Plus.Normally, this app is $3.99. Today it is only $.99. You save $3.00.

And, if you’re not willing to spend $.99 on Notes Plus, the same publisher has another “lite” app called INKredible that will let you see the inking and handwriting experience the larger Notes Plus product provides. It’s FREE.

Obviously, the big excitement is Apple’s event scheduled for September 9. There are now some rumors floating about that Apple might actually be announcing a new iPad Air in addition to providing information for iOS 8 and the new generation of iPhones. You can see the event, yourself, LIVE at:

You’ve probably heard about what has been called “The Fappening” in one way or another — the release of hundreds of sexts and nude photographs (or supposed photographs) of celebrities taken from their Cloud accounts. I’m not going to fade into a technical discussion of why this did or did not happen. I’m not even going to rant as to fault. I do think it’s a good reminder of what I tell people in my live events — use your iOS devices and post to the internet never to be ashamed if anything you have written, photographed, created is then shared with the world. Presume that you have no privacy and it is your obligation to be diligent about what you share and store digitally.

That being said, I want to remind you to make certain you are using strong passwords and have activated two-tier authentication for your cloud storage activities.

Finally, I have saved some exciting news for the end. As you know, my book, “The Million Dollar iPad” is now in its second edition at Amazon:

I had intended for the second edition to be free for prior purchasers. Well, Amazon simply isn’t making that happen easily. So . . . to cut through all the red tape and to coincide with the September 9 Apple event, the second edition of “The Million Dollar iPad” will be FREE for that day only. Such an offer doesn’t happen often and it’s my way of simply saying thank you to everyone for supporting my work.